EARLI SIG 28 Conference: The TLD Lab Explores Play, Creativity, and Learning
July 2026 | Reggio Emilia, Italy
The Teaching, Learning & Development Lab recently participated in the EARLI SIG 28 Conference, “Playful Worlds: Play, Creativity, and Learning Across Analogue and Digital Spaces,” hosted by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
The conference brought together researchers and scholars exploring the role of play, creativity, and learning across both traditional and digital contexts. Members of the TLD Lab contributed to these conversations through a series of presentations examining children’s digital play and parent–child interactions.
Khadija Alhashmi and Hala Sukkar presented their joint research on maternal verbal scaffolding and dyadic attunement, exploring how mother–child interaction dynamics may shift as play moves from traditional to digital environments.
Yared Getachew Kahsay presented research on profiling children’s digital play through a dynamic systems perspective. Using State-Space Grids, the study moves beyond measures of screen time to examine the quality and patterns of children’s engagement in digital play.
Ola Ahmed also shared her research in a separate session, contributing to the Lab’s broader engagement with current research on play, learning, and development.
Beyond the academic programme, the conference provided an opportunity for members of the TLD Lab to connect, exchange ideas, and strengthen relationships as a team. Time spent exploring Reggio Emilia and sharing moments outside the conference offered a valuable space for conversation and collaboration beyond the usual pace of daily work.
The Lab’s participation in EARLI SIG 28 Conference reflects its ongoing commitment to advancing research on children’s learning and development across the evolving contexts in which play takes place.
Read more about the team’s reflection.
